Nepal rivals rally on final day of election campaign, PM urges citizens to vote | Election news

As Nepal’s rival parties make a last push on the final day of Nepal’s election campaign, Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki has appealed to people to vote and maintain peace.

The Himalayan republic will elect a new parliament on Thursday to replace the interim government that has led the country of 30 million people since a September 2025 coup that left at least 77 people dead.

The two-week campaign has featured a wave of younger candidates promising to tackle Nepal’s struggling economy, challenging veteran politicians who have dominated for two decades and promising stability and security.

“To lead the country on the path of political stability and prosperity, all voters must participate in the upcoming elections,” former Chief Justice Karki televised to the nation on Monday.

“I sincerely request you to leave your other work and go to your polling station on Thursday to vote.”

She also requested him to remain calm. “I request everyone to maintain peace and harmony during these elections,” he said. “Only with your active participation will our democracy survive.”

Referring to the election six months after the General Z-led protests, Karki said the situation was “complex, sensitive and challenging”.

“Our priority was to manage that difficult transition, take the country from a violent phase to a peaceful exit and return to the path of the Constitution,” he said adding that the Election Commission had completed all preparations.

“The Government of Nepal and the Commission are fully committed to conducting the elections in a fair, free and fearless manner,” he said.

About 19 million people are registered to vote, including 800,000 likely to participate for the first time.

They elect members to the 275-seat House of Representatives, the lower house, 165 by direct vote and 110 by proportional representation.

More than 3,400 candidates are contesting in the direct vote, 40 percent of whom are under the age of 35.

Among the key figures is KP Sharma Oli, the 74-year-old Marxist leader who was ousted as prime minister last year.

He faces a major challenge in his home constituency from former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician widely known as Balen.

His constituency, Jhapa-5 – a mix of towns and agricultural settlements in Nepal’s eastern plains with the world’s highest peaks on the horizon – has emerged as a crucial battleground.

Oli, speaking to the AFP news agency, blamed “anarchic forces” for the violence that led to his removal and denied ordering security forces to kill protesters during the unrest.

Shah, from the centrist Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP), has cast himself as a symbol of youth-driven political change. “Gen Z’s first demand is good governance, because there is a high level of corruption in the country,” he told AFP.

But he is not the only one aspiring to woo the youth vote and become the prime minister.

Speaking to AFP, 49-year-old Gagan Thapa, the new head of the country’s oldest party Nepali Congress, said he wanted to end the revolving club of “aging” leaders.

Thapa, a former health minister who took charge of the party in January, said he would offer “the right mix of energy and experience” to voters.

The last day of campaigning comes before Holi, the Hindu festival of colours, with some candidates combining celebrations with their rallies.

Analysts say the vote is unlikely to give any party an outright majority.